Risking Everything
by colorguard28
Summary: Sgt. Lukela has seen the Five-0 team in action just often enough to read between the lines. Spoilers for episodes 01.08, 01.12, 01.15 and 01.24. Meka, collar bomb, tsunami, S1 finale


_This started because I couldn't help but wonder what Duke was thinking during the scene where they arrested Commander Hale and Danny tells Steve to say it one last time. So I worked forward and backward and ended up with this take on the Season 1 arc from Duke's perspective._

_Disclaimer: Recognizable characters are the property of CBS and their creators. Not making any money, and no characters were harmed in the writing of this fic._

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**Risking Everything**

_November 2010_

Sgt. Duke Lukela stayed out of the way when the two haoles from 5-0 came in asking about Meka Hanamoa. The tall one, McGarrett's son, stayed quiet, watching, as Detective Williams managed to out-yell everybody in the office, same as he'd done when he and Hanamoa were partners. Duke wasn't much for haoles, but Meka had been one of the good guys, a detective who remembered what it was like to walk a beat and who listened if the uniforms had something to say at a crime scene. But Cage was on the warpath and just because Williams was 5-0 and untouchable — unless McGarrett's boy was the one trying to take him down — didn't mean Duke or any other cop could afford to help Williams.

But two days later, when Williams punched Kaleo in the jaw, Duke decided that maybe those 5-0 guys weren't as bad as the rest of HPD made them out to be. He wondered what would have happened if 5-0 had been around when Chin-Ho Kelly was accused of stealing and Cage forced him out of HPD.

_Christmas Eve 2010_

Duke watched as McGarrett and Williams ran past the bomb barrier to talk to Chin-Ho, no suits, nothing but vests that wouldn't do a bit of good if that bomb collar went off. He couldn't tell what they were saying — a bomb was enough to keep Williams from going off on one of his famous rants, it seemed. But it didn't look good.

A few minutes later, Williams walked up as McGarrett was outside the barrier briefing Duke on the situation.

"I spoke to the governor," Williams said. But he didn't look happy.

"She's not going to give us the money." McGarrett's voice was flat.

"'We don't negotiate with terrorists, Daniel.' Her words." Williams sounded resigned, and as he and McGarrett turned to look at Chin-Ho, Duke watched all three.

"What are we going to tell our boy?" Williams asked.

"I guess we're going to tell him the truth." McGarrett led the way back into the danger zone. Duke gave the orders to push the evac zone back another block.

When little Kono showed up — he still couldn't believe Chin-Ho's baby cousin was old enough to wear a badge — Duke thought of trying to stop her. But she slipped through the crowd of cops and met the other members of 5-0 right where the bomb could take them all out.

It wasn't long before McGarrett and Williams came back out, headed for McGarrett's truck. Duke caught a fragment of the rant.

"I'm just trying to measure the level of insanity here," he said. And then they were gone and Duke focused in on keeping everybody safe as he watched Chin-Ho sweat and tremble with the effort to stay still.

Later, Williams stayed right with Chin the entire time as McGarrett and Kono disappeared. He was right there when the collar came off Chin and the former detective collapsed to the ground. He helped Chin out, even though Chin was taller and his weight made Williams limp. Duke thought of offering to help, figured he owed Chin that much after everything he'd been through, but Williams kept waving away help. So Duke went back to the station and took his turn on phone duty.

When the call came in from the elderly lady in the neighborhood watch, Duke ran the list of permits from the city that day, expecting to find the Beretania Street permit on the list, same as usually happened when one of the watch groups called in. They were helpful, but he'd learned that most of the daylight calls were legitimate businesses or city trucks. So even as he took down the information, he was expecting to cut the woman off with the news that it was really the city water department.

But the search came up blank, and when Duke looked again at the address, he decided to do what he hadn't been able to do three years ago. He told the woman it was the city sewer department, took the rest of her information and filled out a report. Then he misfiled it to his hard drive rather than the server. He had been around when the old sewer tunnel was sealed. But the drug case was long cold, and Chin-Ho was alive. Victor Hesse, the haole who killed John McGarrett, was in Halawa where he belonged. And unless there was some reason to say something, Duke wasn't going to.

_January 2011_

When dispatch called to say 5-0 needed help at the main HPD building, Duke agreed to go, left the younger cops outside the evac zone. His father had been a waterman, and Duke had learned from him. The air and water didn't feel like a tsunami was bearing down, and if 5-0 hadn't fled the evac zone, there had to be a reason.

He watched as McGarrett, Kono, Chin and Williams unraveled the mystery, each working the bits of information together while Hale blustered. When McGarrett sliced open the sandbag and stacks of bills came out, Duke wasn't surprised. He could tell the team wasn't either — they knew what was going down before they pulled up.

As Hale explained why he did it, McGarrett's face went cold, and Duke could see the sailor in him.

"Let's get one thing clear," McGarrett said. "You swore to support and defend this country no matter what the cost. She doesn't owe you anything."

Williams went to cuff Hale. "It's uh, gonna be your last chance to say it. Come on." Williams was quiet, and Duke knew something was wrong. The team had saved a man's life and stopped a heist, but they stood there, almost reluctant.

"How much money is this?" Duke looked at Hale.

"$28 million." Hale's tone was bitter. As Williams turned the commander over to the Coast Guard, Duke went to take the sandbag stuffed with bills back down to the locker. He turned to watch the subdued 5-0 team walk away. Even Williams was quiet, and that wasn't their style. Old bits of memories started to fit into place as he carried the money back down to the sub-basement where the Asset Forfeiture Locker existed.

He placed the money back on the shelf, then walked over to the grate on the floor. The metal latch had a shiny stripe where the metal had melted and been soldered back together. Duke nodded as the pieces began to come together in his mind. He didn't know if the amount of money was $28 million or $18 million, and he didn't want to. He knew the identity of the woman at the water truck on Christmas Eve, but he wasn't going to amend his report or file it on the server. He remembered Williams punching Kaleo in the face and standing by Meka when nobody else would. He remembered the 5-0 team huddled around Chin, willing to be blown to bits along with him. He'd seen Chin and Kono in their headquarters that morning willing to risk everything to try and find the missing man. He understood why it was so quiet as they revealed Hale's master plan, why Williams had said "one last time."

Duke had seen courage and cowardice in all forms over the years, and for every risk he'd watched 5-0 take, he knew today had been one of the biggest. The team risked everything to prevent Hale from getting away with his robbery, doing their job no matter what it cost them.

Protecting the reputation and good name of an honest cop who wasn't alive to defend himself.

Risking their lives on Christmas Eve to save a friend.

Risking everything to bring a corrupt man to justice.

Duke decided not to mention an inventory of the locker unless somebody brought it up. He didn't take out a pen to sign the evidence log. He didn't know what else he could do, but if he could create that gap, maybe it would be enough to save the team from this.

When he took the call from the governor asking him to bring over the money so her office could inventory it, he insisted on doing it himself. The governor had given 5-0 full immunity and means. For her to step in like this, she had to be prepared to protect the team. He hoped.

_May 2011_

The moment Duke got the call about the burned money, he knew the last puzzle piece. He understood what had happened all those weeks ago. But this call came through an officer, and he couldn't ignore it. All he could do was supervise.

When they walked back into HPD and Chin was coming down from the chief's office, Duke had to warn him.

"We're going to run the serial numbers." He knew, just as Chin did, that the serial numbers were still on record. The rumor about them being lost had been just that, a rumor, one designed to trap Chin. Now Duke could only hope Chin and the others could find a way out of this, that his warning would give them enough time.

He slipped his file back in the system, made sure it looked like it had always been there. It would make things worse for Kono, for 5-0, but there wasn't any other choice. Not now. Not when Fryer was on the rampage about corrupt cops. He couldn't help 5-0 if he was suspended, too.

The counting done, and IA notified by the lieutenant in charge of the evidence, Duke settled in at his desk and listened for news, any news about what was going on. He heard mutters about 5-0 and McGarrett, so he got into the system and looked, finding the warrant just before the email went out to the department. He called Chin, hoped Chin understood his message. When Chin showed up while the department's radio traffic was busy as officers all over the city hunted for McGarrett, Duke knew it had worked. He got himself paired with Chin, and the two of them went for a walk, away from the department and listening ears.

But before they could do anything, the call came in about shots fired at the governor's residence and McGarrett was there, in the study, gun in hand.

All Duke could do was follow Chin-Ho's lead and hope he had a plan.


End file.
